Preclinical Quick Takes: NIH's clinical trial practices in preclinical studies, plus Kancera and optimized base editors

NIH to fund preclinical studies implementing clinical practices for stroke
NIH plans to fund a preclinical trial platform that uses clinical research practices to study therapies for stroke. NIH's NINDS will invest $4 million over three years in seven labs within the Stroke Preclinical Assessment Network (SPAN) that will test six FDA-approved drugs in rodents to see if they can be repurposed during ischemic stroke. The researchers will use clinical trial practices such as treatment randomization, blinded analysis and reproduction in other labs.

Kancera presents first data on CX3CR1 inhibitor
Kancera AB (SSE:KAN) unveiled preclinical data showing its oral CX3CR1 inhibitor KAND567 reduced vascular inflammation in mouse and pig models of atherosclerosis, and reduced infarct size, neutrophil infiltration, edema and hemorrhage in a rat model of ischemia/reperfusion injury. Results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) meeting in Paris. KAND567 is in Phase Ib testing in healthy subjects, and will begin Phase II testing in heart attack patients next half...